Trieste

Trieste [1] (Triest in German, Trst in Slovenian and Croatian) is a city in North-East Italy. Once a very influential and powerful centre of politics, literature, music, art and culture under Austrian-Hungarian dominion, its importance fell into decline towards the end of the 20th century, and today, Trieste is often forgotten as tourists head off to the big Italian cities like Rome and Milan. It is, however, a very charming underestimated city, with a quiet and lovely almost Eastern European atmosphere, several pubs and cafes, some stunning architecture and a beautiful sea view. It was also, for a while, the residence of famous Irish writer James Joyce. Palazzo del Municipio at Piazza Unità, Trieste The sea in Trieste. Understand Trieste is the capital of the autonomous region of Friuli Venezia Giulia and has 201,261 inhabitants. It is situated on the crossroads of several commercial and cultural flows: German middle Europe to the north, Slavic masses and the Balkans to the east, Italy and then Latin countries to the west and the Mediterranean Sea to the south. Its artistic and cultural heritage is linked to its singular "border town" location. You can find some old Roman architecture (a small theater near the sea, a nice arch into old city and an interesting Roman museum), Austrian empire architecture across the city centre (similar to stuff you can find in Vienna) and a nice atmosphere of metissage of Mediterranean styles, as Trieste was a very important port during the 18th century. History Talk The region of Friuli Venezia Giulia is officially quadrilingual (Italian, Slovene, Ladin and German). Signs are often only italian in Trieste, as the city itself is generally Italian speaking and the local dialect (a form of the Venetian language) is called Triestine. Surrounding villages and towns are often inhabited by mostly Slovene speakers. Residents, and those working in the city, can easily find free courses to learn Italian or Slovene or German or English and many other languages. Get in By Air National flights via Milan, Rome and Genoa. International flights via Milan and Rome (Alitalia [2]); direct flights from Munich (Air Dolomiti - Lufthansa [3]); direct flights from London and Birmingham (Ryanair [4]); direct flights from Belgrade (Jat [5]); direct flights from Tirana and Prishtina (BelleAir [6]). The International Airport of Ronchi dei Legionari [7] is 33km north of the city centre. A bus service (number 51) runs to the airport from Trieste's bus station (next to the railway station). Weekdays buses leave at 5 minutes and 35 minutes past the hour however on Sundays the service is every 1 to 2 hours. The bus takes about 55 minutes, a taxi (around 50 euro) takes 30-35 minutes. Tickets can be bought from a machine in the airport terminal. You can also take a train from Trieste station to Monfalcone (approximately 25 minutes) and take a short bus / taxi ride to the airport. The airport is just off the A4 Trieste-Venice motorway (Redipuglia exit). Long and short-stay car parks are available. Monfalcone Railway Station - located some 5 km from the airport on the Trieste-Venice railway line - can be reached by Local Transport service APT Bus 10, running every 20/25 minutes. The public transport company APT operates bus and coach services linking the airport with: Gorizia: Coach 1 and other services in connection with Coach 51 Monfalcone: Bus 10 Udine: Coach 51 (also non-stop via the motorway) Trieste: Coach 51 Tickets can be purchased at city bus/coach stations or at the airport: in the Arrivals Hall, with an automatic machine for selfticketing and at the Post Office. Taxis are available outside the Arrivals hall from 08.00 to 24.00. By Bus By Car A4 Venice-Trieste, toll-gate Monfalcone-Lisert, exit point "Sistiana" (SS 14 "Costiera" ). The town is 24 km from the motorway. SS 202 Triestina: Motorway A4, toll-gate Lisert, Carso Plateau, Opicina, Padriciano, Trieste SS 15 Via Flavia: Koper (Slovenia) - Rabuiese border SS 58, Carniola highway: Ljubljana (Slovenia) - Fernetti border - Opicina, where the highway joins to SS 202, Trieste By Train Lots of trains from Venice and Udine, Eurostar from Milan and Rome and Cisalpino from Basel at the Central Railway Station. There are no rail links with Slovenia: once at Sežana's train station you can catch a bus to Trieste, the last leaving at 14:00, only on working days. If you are coming from Jesenice, you can get off at Nova Gorica, catch the bus no.1 to Gorizia station and then a train to Trieste. If you arrive by train, the last 15 minutes of travel you have a beautiful sight, because the railway goes along the sea and if the weather is good it should be very striking. Get around Coach tour of Trieste 040 308536, (040 311529, incoming@promotrieste.it), [8]. Saturday 2-4:30pm. Sightseeing tour starts outside the railway station (Piazza Libertà 8). Booking and ticket purchase (5.20 Euro) at the Eurostar office of Trieste Centrale Railway Station. Walking Like most of Europe, a stroll through the town to admire its ancient architecture is a very popular activity. You get to travel at your own pace and even get some coffee along the way. Trieste is not particularly big and if you do not have luggage with you there is no need to take a bus. Bus Trieste has a network of buses running on a strict schedule. This can often be checked on the web [9]. Routes are very frequent through the day but rarer after 9pm in the evening, on Sundays and holidays. Strikes occasionally affect buses but Trieste is a small city and most places of interest can easily be reached on foot. Tickets can be bought from tobacconists. They cost €1.25 each. Tickets can be bought from tobacconists and from machines which are found at some of the busier bus stops. See Museo Revoltella [10] - This museum was donated to the city in 1869 by Baron Pasquale Revoltella, a great patron of the arts who liked to surround himself with precious and avant-garde works. In a building restored and extended by architect Carlo Scarpa, the museum today houses one of Italy’s finest collections of 19th-century, modern and contemporary art. Museo di Storia, Arte e Orto Lapidario (Museum of History and Art and Lapidary Garden) Archaeological, historical and art collections. Prehistoric and protohuman findings of local origin; Roman and medieval sculptures and epigraphs. Egyptian, Greek, Roman and pre-Roman antiques. Numismatic collection. Photograph and book libraries. Museo di Storia Naturale - Zoological, botanical, geological, palaeontological and mineralogical collections. Vivarium. Specialised scientific library. The Roman Theatre - Trieste or Tergeste, which probably dates back to the protohistoric period, was enclosed by walls built in 33-32 BC on Emperor Octavius’s orders. The city developed greatly during the 1st and 2nd century AD. The Roman Theatre lies at the foot of the San Giusto hill, and faces the sea. The construction partially exploits the gentle slope of the hill, and most of the construction work is in stone. The topmost portion of the amphitheatre steps and the stage were presumably made of wood. The statues that adorned the theatre (which was brought to light in the '30s) are now preserved at the Town Museum. Three inscriptions from the Trajan period mention a certain Q. Petronius Modestus, a person who was closely connected with the development of the theatre, which was erected during the second half of the 1st century. Il Faro della Vittoria (Victory Lighthouse) - The Lighthouse of the Victory, an impressive work of the Triestine architect Arduino Berlam (1880-1946) and of the sculptor Giovanni Mayer (1863-1943), has two important functions. Besides lighting the gulf of Trieste, in order to help navigation, it also serves as a commemorative monument dedicated to the fallen of the first Worid War. The lighthouse is topped by an embossed copper statue of Victory sculpted by Giovanni Mayer. Under this statue is affixed the anchor of the torpedo-boat Audace (the first Italian ship that entered the port of Trieste on November 3,1918), Arco di Riccardo - The "Arco di Riccardo" is an Augustan gate built in the Roman walls in 33 A.D. It stands in Piazzetta Barbacan, in the narrow streets of the old town. Museo della Comunità Ebraica di Trieste "Carlo e Vera Wagner" ("Carlo e Vera Wagner" Museum of the Jewish Community of Trieste) - Collection of ritual art of the Jewish community of Trieste, mainly silverware and fabrics. Synagogue - It's one of the largest in Europe, and was built in 1912. Open on Sundays 10÷12 and on Thursdays 15.30÷17.30, guided tours only, info Key Tre Viaggi tel. +39 040 6726736 Museo della Risiera di San Sabba (Risiera di San Sabba Museum) - A national monument - a testimonial of the only Nazi extermination camp in Italy. Railway Museum Trieste Campo Marzio - Housed in the former railhouse, the museum features drawings, models and fullsized train engines and railcars as well as horse-drawn trams from Trieste's past. San Giusto - Cathedral and Castle A walk on the Castle ramparts and bastions gives a complete panorama of the city of Trieste, its hills and the sea. Museum Capitoline Temple Church of San Giovanni San Michele al Carnale WWI Alter Roman forum and civic building Castle of San Giusto. Park of Remembrance World War I commemorative park, Lapidary Garden. Contains Roman and Medieval relics discovered in Trieste. In it stands a Cenotaph to the archaeologist Johann Winckelmann, father of neoclassicism, who died in Trieste in 1769. The Miramare Castle [11] The Miramare Castle Maximilian's chambers and those of his consort, Carlota of Belgium; the guest rooms; the information room telling the history of the Castle and the Park's construction; Duke Amadeo of Aosta's apartment with furnishings from the 1930's in the Rationalist style. Throne room The park offers the public a chance for an interesting stroll among botanical species and an important collection of sculptures dotted along its numerous paths. the Stables, a building which was recently restored and is now used for temporary exhibitions; the Old Greenhouses Little Castle Do Take the tram #2 from Piazza Oberdan to Opicina. Alight at the Obelisco, and take a walk along the pedestrian Strada Vicentina to Prosecco. The views are superb. The tram has been recently fixed and is doing the entire route again. Do not miss it if you come to Trieste! Buy During the 1970s and 1980s Trieste was the number one shopping destination for tourists from Yugoslavia. Ghetto and Piazza Unità. for Biedermeier and Liberty furniture, Bohemian glassware and Austrian silverware, and other fine antiques. Glassworks from France and Venice. Paintings Prints and antique engravings as well as books, postcards, and historical photographs. Eat The cuisine of Trieste reflects the living traditions of the many populations that have passed through the city over the centuries. In the city's restaurants, called "buffets", you can find delicious examples of the local Austrian and Slavic tradition. Caldaia Traditional dish of boiled pork. Jota a soup prepared with pork, potatoes, cabbage, and finely-ground beans Gnocchi in the style of Austrian dumplings, made with everything from ham to stuffed with plums. Brodetto Fish soup Risotto Creamy rice dish Sardoni in savor flavored pilchards Salads common favorites here include chicory and rocket Bruscandoli Farmers of the plateau who had been allowed by an imperial decree to sell their own products during a period of 8 days, organized the so-called osmizze, where it is possible to taste local wines and products, such as Monrupino's tabor cheese and honey from San Dorligo. The pastry shops in Trieste offer delicious local varieties of the most famous Austrian cakes: Sacher torte, krapfen, strucolo cotto and strucolo de pomi (local varieties of strudel), chiffeletti (cookies made with flour, eggs and potatoes and fried in oil) During Easter you can taste the pinza, a sweet leavened bread that many women still prepare at home and take to the bakery to be cooked. Richer variants of this are the titola, decorated with a hard-boiled egg, putizza and presnitz. Fritole, pancakes stuffed and fried in oil and fave, small round cookies made with almonds and aromas are typical during Carnival. Restaurants Pizzeria Al Barattolo [12], Piazza S. Antonio Nuovo 2. Considering that this restaurant is located right at the Grand Canale, is has very moderate prices (and of course a beautiful view). In the first little alley to the left of the Piazza Unità d'Italia, leading towards the hill, there are several small pasta restaurants and bistros. Pizzerias can be easily found in the town center, as in Viale XX Settembre, for instance. Other typical restaurants include: TRATTORIA SUBAN (2/d, via Comici) tel: 040 54368 DANEU - L'ANGOLO DEI CILIEGI (76, Strada per Vienna) tel: 040 211241 TRATTORIA DA GIOVANNI (14, v. S. Lazzaro) tel: 040 639396 AI FIORI (Piazza Hortis n° 7)Tel. 040/300633 A famous local buffet is "Da Bepi". For fish restaurants, notable points of reference are: TRATTORIA NERODISEPPIA (23, v. Cadorna) tel: 339 1539039, 040 301377 AL BRAGOZZO (22, riva Sauro) tel: 040 314111 RISTORANTE CITTA' DI CHERSO (6, v. Cadorna) tel: 040 366044 RISTORANTE MENAROSTI Menarosti (Via del Toro n° 12)Tel. 040/661077 ALLE RONDINELLE (Via Orsera n° 17) Tel. 040/820053 HOSTARIA BANDIERETTE (Riva Nazario Sauro n° 2) Tel. 040/300686 AL BAGATTO (Via Venezian n° 2) Tel. 040/301771 AL GRANZO (Piazza Venezia n° 7) Tel. 040/306788 ANTICA OSTERIA LE BARETTINE (Via Basione 3) Tel. 040 3229528 - Cel. 339 6379781 If you want to stay on the cheap, there are more than thirty kebab-shops spread through the city. Otherwise you can easily find pizza slices. There is a buger king in Viale XX Settembre 25 and a McDonald's at the ground floor of the mall "Torri D'Europa". Drink Some local specialties include: Frambua - from framboise - mint and tamarind Grappa Terrano wine other popular local wines include the Rosso, Malvasia, and the white Vitovska Garganja. Coffee Coffee has been an important part of Trieste since the 1700s. Some of the most famous caffè, know as much for their famous patrons as their food and drink, include: Caffè Tommaseo, Riva 3 Novembre Caffè San Marco, via Battisti, 18. Open since 1914, San Marcho is as popular with today's students and tourists as it was in the days of Saba and Giotti. Caffè Pasticceria Pirona One of the few remaining petesserias (cake shop that also sells coffee and liqueur, as well as beverages made from ) to have retained its Viennese charm. One of its most devoted customers was none other than James Joyce. Caffè degli Specchi, Piazza Unità d'Italia Chocolat via Cavana 15 It's a must for hot chocolate in wintertime and chocolate icecream in summertime. Trieste has a strong passion for coffe: its inhabitants' consumption per head is twice bigger than the national average. Unlike in the rest of Italy, nobody will order just "a coffee", but: "un nero” (an espresso), "un capo" (an espresso with hot milk in a cup), "un capo in b" (an espresso with hot milk in a glass) "caffè latte" (in Trieste it is used as a synonim for "capuccino"), "gocciato" or "goccia" (lit. "drop", an espresso with a just a tiny quantity of milk). It is not customary in Trieste to drink coffee with liquors. Beer If you are more into beer, here is a list of pubs: BIRRERIA BOUNTY PUB (Via Pondares, 6) Tel.: 040 762952 TNT PUB (Via della Ginnastica, 46) Tel.: 040 661116 THE DUKE PUB (Via Giuseppe Vidali 2/b) Tel.: 328 366 6902. THE TENDER PUB (Via Giulio Cesare, 1) Tel.: 040 305654 GULLIVER PUB (Rotonda del Boschetto 3/1) MEA CULPA PUB (Via Giulia 57) Tel: 040577641. OLD LONDON PUB (Via Caprin 17/b) LA PREFERITA (Viale XX settembre 29) Tel: 3388169889 FOOTLIGHTS (Piazza Venezia, 4) Tel: 040 300450 BIRRERIA PAULANER (22, v. Riva Sauro)Tel: 040 317912 --> The helpful tourist information in Piazza Unita can provide you with a list of accommodation and will even make bookings for you. They also have free maps. Budget The Tergeste Youth Hostel, Viale Miramare, 331, (Take line 36 from Oberdan Square to Grignano. Journey takes between 10 and 20 minutes depending on traffic and passes the railway tracks and beach of Barcola. Get off at the Miramare junction, two minutes walk to the hostel.) +39 40 224102 ([13]), [14]. 74 beds, restaurant indoors and a snack-bar and restaurant on the panoramic terrace. The youth hostel is easily reached by bus. It should be noted that it has a fantastic location with the Adriatic sea just a few metres in front of it. Hotel Porta Cavana, Via Felice Venezian, 14, tel. +39 4030 1313; hotelportacavana@libero.it, [15]. Close to the beautiful Piazza Unità, its rooms have a CD-player, cable TV and VCR. Staff is friendly and speaks English. Singles/Doubles min/max € 36 - 130. B&B Adria, Sistiana, 59/V, tel. +39 328 09 77 182; adriasistiana@libero.it, [16]. Close to the Castle Duino, the Rilke Promenade above the Natural reserve of Duino's Cliffs, very good connections with public transport to airport and downtown. Staff is very friendly and helpful. Double rooms min/max € 22/24 per person/night, breakfast is included. Mid Range Hotel Roma, Via Ghega 7, +39 040 370040 ([17]), [18]. 3 star hotel in the centre. 19th century building, hotel bar and even business facilities. NH Jolly Trieste, Corso Cavour 7, +39 040 7600055 [19]. Greif Maria Theresia (Greif Maria Theresia), Viale Miramare 109, ☎ +39-040 410115. Elegant hotel few minutes by car from the centre, with indoor swimming pool. €120-€250.  edit Get out Across the countryside you can find a local tradition that must be mentioned, "osmica". Osmicas are wineries predominatly located on the Karst Plateau, small beautiful farms where you will find beautiful different kinds of home-made salami, cheese and ham, and a characteristic red wine. Opened for only certain months of the year, the owe their Slovenian name to the word "osem" (meaning "eight" in Slovenian", as under the Austro-Hungarian Empire the farmers were allowed to open them for eight days per year). And maybe along the Riviera (Muggia, Sistiana, Duino) you can find some nice places to sleep, too. The pretty island of Grado just to the west makes a good half day boat trip (ticket retour 6 €) [20]. Venice and Ljubljana are also major nearby destinations. Grotta Gigante - The Giant cave claims to be the biggest tourist cave in the world (since 1997 in the Guinness book of records). 15 km by city bus #42 or the tram of Opicina then 1 hour walking along the path #26. The enormous hall is 107 metres high, 280 metres long and 65 metres large. The multi-lingual guided tour takes about 45 minutes. You can also visit the Museum of Speleology is near the cave and besides the various speleological, geological and paleontological finds it also includes some valuable archeological pieces and a poster collection of the cave. Two wide parking lots are available on the outside. Another cave and World Heritage Site, Skocjan Caves in Slovenia is located just a few minutes from Bassovica, one of the suburbs above Trieste. The Slovenian coastal cities of Koper and Piran are about 30 minutes away (1 hour by bus) and make a great day trip. Buses departs from the bus station (EURO 5.30 one way). The twin cities of Gorizia (in Italy) and Nova Gorica (in Slovenia) are around 45 minutes by train from Trieste. From Nova Gorica it's easy to take a connecting train to Lake Bled or other parts of the Slovenian Alps. During the summer months there are daily ferries to Piran (Slovenia) and Porec, Rovinj and Pula in Croatia costing around 40 euro for a return ticket. The Croatian cities in Istria are all accessible from Trieste by car in little over an hour. Trips to Austria (2 hours by car, 3 hours by train) are possible from Trieste via either Udine or Nova Gorica Local routes include Udine, Grado, San Candido/Innichen[21] At the Trieste Coach Station, bus and coach connections to several European countries, including Slovenia (Izola - Isola, Koper - Capodistria, Ljubljana, Piran - Pirano, Portorož - Portorose, Postojna - Postumia, Sežana - Sesana), Croatia (Dubrovnik, Poreč - Parenzo, Pula - Pola, Opatija - Abbazia, Rijeka - Fiume, Rovinj - Rovigno, Split - Spalato, Zadar - Zara) and Serbia (Belgrade - Belgrado) are available. Trieste's coach station is also linked with Budapest three times per week, every Tuesday, Friday and Sunday, the bus leaving Trieste at 2:30. A single ticket costs 50 €. Trieste is also linked once per day with Bucarest and with Sofia. See the station's website http://www.autostazionetrieste.it/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4&Itemid=6 for more information. For bus links with Slovenia, See Veolia's website to check prices: http://www.veolia-transport.si/?iLangID=2 On Veolia's buses, you can buy the ticket directly on the bus. For bus fares to Croatia, see http://autotrans.hr/en-us/home. Stay Safe Trieste has a reputation of being one of Italy's safest cities possibly due to it being a border city (and therefore formerly full of border police and other security services). There are very few problems with regards to walking the streets at night, taking taxis or pick pocketing. Obviously normal precautions should be taken and like elsewhere in Italy be careful of drivers who tend to think that they own the road. Work Speakers of Italian or Slovene or German should find work easily in Trieste. The city has a large number of science parks which employ scientists from all over the world and communication at these centres is usually in English. There are also a small number of English language schools which employ native speakers. This article is an outline and needs more content. It has a template, but there is not enough information present. Please plunge forward and help it grow!